Pandemic in the Pastures: Tost Village’s COVID-19 Dilemma

Abstract

This video highlights the challenges of COVID-19 testing in Tost Village, Khar Us. The pandemic has triggered frequent and extensive lockdowns across China, significantly impacting remote rural areas. The footage captures herders travelling by car, motorcycle, or horse from their sparse pasturelands to the village centre to receive their COVID test. Despite their isolated living conditions and limited interactions with crowded urban centres, these herders face a heightened risk of virus transmission due to their involvement with frequent testing initiatives. Additionally, indistinctive long periods of lockdowns across the country largely affected herders' everyday tasks related to livestock and farming activities.